Madame Alcius Odulcie is a 67-year-old mother of five and resident of Lina (located in the 1st communal section of Bois Neuf, in the St Raphaël commun.) Despite various health issues, she is a beloved lady in her community who radiates joy! This mother of five lost her husband ten years ago. Two of her children are grown and live with their significant others, and the youngest three still reside with her.
Daily, she collects water for herself and three youngest children. Often, Haitian youth help with this task, but Madame Alcius doesn’t want her children to miss school, so she assumes the responsibility for her family’s water needs.
Her primary source was a stream that was not very close to her home. Given her physical limitations, she could only carry a small bucket of water so she would have to take more trips than most need to take. To make her journey more difficult, when it rained she could not traverse the roads necessary to reach the stream. In those cases, her family could be without water for days or more.
Madame Alcius was not the only person who struggled with these challenges, her entire community in Lina felt the strain of limited water access and the long trips to gather it. The people of Lina collaborated to request the broken well in Lina be rehabilitated by Haiti Outreach. Their well was inaugurated February 26th, 2021. That day was a profoundly joyous occasion for everyone in Lina! One woman shared that this well makes her feel safe from the risks of illness as well as danger of violence that can occur on the long walk for water. She shared, “Now I can take a bucket of water home without fear.”
Madame Alcius expressed her appreciation to Haiti Outreach who rehabilitated the well in Lina exclaiming, “It was the happiest day of my life!” Now she can gather water in less time and earn more money to support her children’s education and other needs.
Members collectively expressed their happiness by chanting: “all popilasyon lina a libere!” (All the population of Lina is liberated). Free indeed, now with a clean water well within 10 minutes of their homes, the members of Lina can spend time doing other activities such as pursuing education, earning income, and enjoying a life with a lot less illness!